jay -
techno is really in itself its own thing..
it can have melody..it can be bassy..minimal..acid..breaky..
loopy...tribal..and even (ugh) housey -
the thing you have been trying to get at (the rolling bass) is a specific style of techno..but that is not the techno sound..it just happens to be one that is more popular at the moment..
the main thing about techno IMO that makes it techno are teh sounds..
they generally are not synthy flowy and trance like..there not poppy jungle/breakl sounds..and usualy arent full of rap samples like nu skool hardcore..but even then you can work all of it into techno..
i think what you need to do, is to get past your barrier that you have been at, and not limit or really try to define techno..
to an extent there are basics that seperate it from trance and house but techno is forever changin..unlike the recycled sounds of nuskool hardcore (no offense) that all of the labels have been using for the past 5 years.

come up with something totaly new..that is what will keep it fresh and continueing...some may not like it but then some may..
and there is nuttin wrong with wanting to focus on a style that already exists if you like that, but dont feel if its not a match like that style then its NOT TECHNO.

try working with some sounds past teh kick or bass first..come up with patterns and then try adding on the kicks or bass after..
let teh other techish sounds screw with your head a bit,.. :love: